Democratic Senators Tim Kaine (Virginia) and Chris Van Hollen (Maryland) voiced objections to the Biden Administration’s decision to sell $147 million in armaments in a move that skirted around typically normal Congressional oversight, the Washington Post reports.
“Just as Congress has a crucial role to play in all matters of war and peace, Congress should have full visibility over the weapons we transfer to any other nation,” Kaine said in a statement. “Unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark. We need a public explanation of the rationale behind this decision—the second such decision this month.”
Both Kaine and Van Hollen noted that Congress has developed accelerated approval processes for arms sales to Israel, who went to war with Hamas after the terrorist group attacked civilians in an October 7th attack. The State Department said the sale of artillery shells and related material was in line with previous transactions that had been approved by Congress.